The quality of housing delivery in any country of the world largely reflects the extent of economic privilege, social status and political strength available to citizens. Housing role in the provision of safety to communities from human, weather and animal attacks have continued to make housing a potent tool for providing improved psychological, social and physical security needed by individuals settling in different villages, towns and cities.
In modern times where cities have become faced with rising rate of urbanisation which is driven by rural-urban migration and exponential population growth, the desire and focus to develop intelligent cities which thrives on enhanced property technology designed and installed in buildings have become imperative. The influx of people from multi-ethnic background to cities in search of livelihood have made cities vulnerable to socio-economic problems particularly rising from unemployment and increased poverty generated by intense competition for limited land and economic resources.
As cities continue to accommodate diverse people with varying purpose, motivation and values the emergence of anti-social practices becomes almost inevitable and gets heightened by criminal activities including substance abuse, human trafficking, theft and hooliganism which promotes insecurity. The demand for housing supply with requisite technology aimed at identifying and preventing security breaches at personal and community level is now more than ever on the rise. Smart housing which integrates innovative information technology in building cities presents solution to mitigating social insecurities. Investing in technology which have the capacity to survey neighborhood precinct like unmanned air vehicle (UAV) and closed circuit television (CCTV) can reduce neighborhood crime as could be observed in developed nations. The employment of real time neighborhood surveillance systems such as CCTV mounted on street lights and linked to mobile devices can facilitates effective identification of criminals and also ensures rapid crime tracking based on documentary evidence captured in video and audio footage.
Property crime in residential neighborhood creates anxiety amongst household and reduces property values due to possible relocation from high security risk area to safer location. The abandonment of housing by people having fear for crime can be addressed through the provision of motion sensors with alarm systems to fight crime. Areas with housing facilities installed with inferred motion sensors will drastically reduce crime such as unlawful entry, theft and burglary due to its ability to detect human movement from body heat signatures which then gives rise to triggering the alarm. Similarly, having systems such as biometric capturing device at the entrance to individual homes would enable advanced forensic crime investigation aimed at tracking offenders in societies where citizens are enrolled in social identity and management programs like the Nigerian identification number (NIN) and bank verification number (BVN). The need to ensure that neighborhood fears for crime and insecurity is reduced should begin with the consideration of supplying housing with services with access to security enabled features.
Property developers in the private and public sector must understand the importance of enhanced security on the mental and emotional wellbeing of households residing within a community. In order to determine the right property technology to employ in securing vulnerable communities, the government should ensure that adequate collaboration with experts in housing and estate management studies is sustained.
Professionals like the estate surveyors and valuers who have experience with the nature of prevailing crime peculiar to areas where they manage properties, should be consulted for research on housing and neighborhood condition. The opinion of these professionals on neighborhood vulnerability through research will inform the government on the right technology to invest in, in order to reduce crimes and ensure that property values are enhanced through improved security systems. In conclusion, the installation of digital systems in development of smart cities will discourage crime and influence neighbourhood quality which is the driver of property value.